Ellis bowled over by kingpin Loberman

He exacted revenge over 2010 winner Gary Ellis over two games in the final of the scratch division at the Airport Bowl, in Harlington.

The opening round saw every bowler bowl five games, with the top eight qualifiers in the scratch division and the top eight qualifiers in the handicap division going through to the knockout stage. Ellis took home the Freddie Loberman Memorial Trophy after winning the first five games of the tournament. His handicap score of 1153, averaging 205 scratch, saw him beat another Team GB bowler, Jack Nesbit, by 12 pins.

Loberman finished in third place, averaging an impressive 208 scratch, leaving him as the top seed in the scratch knockout finals.

Gary Ellis

Having overcome scares against Robin Bluston and Larry Handworker on his way to the final, Loberman averaged an incredible 231 over six games. He took the high game with his first game of the tournament, 257 scratch, or 273 handicap.

Ellis bowled two games over 250 – 257 and 277 in his semi-final win over Patrik Goldberg of Sweden.

Goldberg won the 3rd/4th playoff after beating Handworker, who had earlier bowled a 265 game.

Ritchie Kneip, Ellis and Nesbit, all members of GB squad competing at the European Maccabi Games in Vienna, also posted high scores. Honourable mentions also go to Handworker and Robin Bluston. Handworker bowled a 234 in qualifying and in the knockout stages bowled a 265 game. Bluston bowled a 232 in qualifying.

The handicap knockout rounds proved to be just as epic. Maccabi stalwart Geoff Isaacs eventually came out on top, defeating top seed Gary Nesbit in a very close run final match.

Nesbit had beaten current GB captain Ian Davis and former squad member Paul Hart on his way to the final, but lost out to the very experienced Isaacs who accounted for Paul Sassienie and newcomer Craig Grant, who averaged 160 in his first tournament, on his way to the final.

Five of the six members of the GB bowling team for Vienna were represented.

Competition organiser Russell Sniper said: "This was a good chance for the players to practice on conditions similar to those in Austria, and will hopefully have shown them where adjustments and corrections need to be made prior to the Games."